Fan Snaps First Post-Accident Image of Dylan O’Brien

16-year-old Teen Wolf fan Vanessa Denegri had no idea her summer job at Jamba Juice would put her in the international spotlight and be the ultimate fan experience but a chance encounter with Dylan O’Brien did just that. The actor dropped by the Sherman Oaks, California Jamba Juice where she works this week to pick up a couple of Kale-ribbean Breezes with Whey Protein.

Vanessa was the only one in the store to recognize him. “No one knew who I was talking about and I was like ‘It’s Dylan O’Brien like how can you not know who he is?’” She did what most fans would in her place, she snapped a selfie, covered her face with an emoji because she didn’t like how she looked and then posted it to her friends via Snapchat.

The picture spread quickly and by Monday afternoon many of the major entertainment sites had picked it up because, unbeknownst to Vanessa at the time, this was the first picture of Dylan O’Brien in almost 5 months. It is the “proof of life” so to speak after his near death experience on the set of The Maze Runner: The Death Cure back in March.

Vanessa started seeing her twitter handle everywhere Tuesday morning. “It’s been so amazing, I mean, it was like 15 minutes of fame but longer.” While she was unhappy with the image at first, she’s now changed her mind about letting the world see her face. “I don’t mind you sharing the pic anymore if you want to post it. I just felt like I looked so bad! But, I mean, it was such a great experience I don’t mind.”

She’s also got quite a tale to tell her classmates at Cleveland High School in Reseda when classes resume there later this month. “I felt super good and super happy for all the fans because I was the first one to post a pic with him since his accident and it’s so crazy!”

A monster science created but could not destroy; Paul V. Rea is a radio, TV and web journalist based in Clarkesville, Georgia. Paul is addicted to television of all genres and can often be found mouthing off about things he sees @paulvrea on Twitter.

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